Chris Conroy
After the release of his previous two singles ‘Dive’ and ‘Sink Or Swim’, Chris Conroy is back with the last track on his debut EP ‘Wolves’. Wolves is a song expressing the struggle in loving someone while seeking different futures. In this case {Chris/the male wolf} talks about wanting to explore the wild and the unknown with his partner but she is afraid of leaving her comfort zone and the life she already knows. The rest of the track explains how when he leaves in search of the unknown he is happier, but still can't get his ex partner ‘Out of his head’.
Chris’s music has been described as ‘Easy going yet powerful’ with ‘rich vocals refined with heart’ accompanied by ‘beautiful lyrics with a euphonious sound’.
Named after his grandad, who coincidentally was one of the only other musically orientated member of his family, Chris was destined to pursue a career in music. Discovering a love for guitar and in turn songwriting in his late teens, his life experiences have shaped who he is and how his music sounds today. A constant battle between happiness and heartache, love and loss, Chris expresses a refreshing and honest vulnerability, a defiant and hopeful mindset all in a playful yet serious manner. Growing up listening to Folk/Pop acts such as Ed Sheeran, Damien Rice and Bon Iver, Chris now draws inspiration from numerous Hip Hop and RnB artists which he infuses with his original love of Acoustic led music.
This was kind’ve hard for me to answer as I feel there’s too many songs that have shaped my sound.So the way Ive approached this is to pick the 10 songs that had an instant impact on me and the songs that I still enjoy listening to now no matter how many times I hear them.
Give Me Love - Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran was and is still in some ways my biggest musical influence.When I first began to learn the guitar Ed had just released ‘The A Team’. I’ve never taken to an artist like that before, the minute I heard his style I knew this was special. ’Give me love’ is still one of my favourite songs ever so it definitely deserves a spot on my list.
The Blowers Daughter - Damien Rice
I could’ve chosen any amount of Damien Rice songs but i narrowed it down to The Blowers Daughter and Delicate. There’s something so appealing and easing about the chorus of Delicate and like all of his songs the lyrics are fantastic, but The Blowers Daughter was actually the inspiration behind my next single ‘Wolves’. I loved the emotion, catchiness and the simplicity of the repeated vocal melody line ‘I can’t take my eyes off of you’ and I look to do something similar in Wolves.
Iron Sky - Paola Nutini
For me, Paola Nutini is the best singer ever. His tone, rawness and power makes him stand out, but I also love his songwriting ability and creativeness. Iron Sky is my favourite song of all time. The lyrics, the melody, everything is so powerful, especially the Charlie Chaplin speech. I have taken influence from this by adding clips of speeches to my music which I look forward to sharing with everyone soon.
Into Hope - Maverick Sabre
Maverick Sabre is an inspiration to me musically and also in life.I like that he comes from a working class family and had to earn everything he got, he made his own luck if you get me. Besides all that, ‘Into hope’ is such a banger. I personally think it could be a classic. Although my music is different than this,I respect and appreciate the honesty in the lyrics and sound, staying true to who you are and I’m trying to do that in my own music. Everyone has influences that shape them but for me the goal is achieving a sound without pure imitation and I think Maverick has this down to a tee.
Moments Passed - Dermot Kennedy
Dermot is very similar to me as Ed Sheeran was all those years ago.I first heard Dermot’s music before he was famous and I instantly recognized his music was unique. He has an incredible voice and he’s also quite the word smith in his own right. Moments passed to me is probably still his best song to date. We have a similar background love of hip hop and ballad/Folk music and I really enjoy how he incorporated acoustic and hip hop sounds to create a new style of pop.
29 #Strafford APTS - Bon Iver
Bon Iver. Where to begin? Although not the strongest vocally on my list here, his songwriting, lyrics and most of all production is phenomenal.I could’ve picked at least 10 songs of his for this list, but to me 29 #Strafford APTS is a perfect song.I think the string sections he composes are amazing, and that’s something I’d like to bring into my music in time. Also Bon Iver’s music is instantly recognizable, sometimes before he even begins to sing and I aspire to have the same sort of instant recognition.
Another Love - Tom Odell
This is a funny one because it was my Mam who introduced me to Tom Odell. My Mam told me about a young man who was nominated for an award and I heard Tom play this song live on a tv show. At first I came away with a negative impression, I didn’t like it at all, then two years later I heard the exact same song and loved it haha. Maybe I understood the song more at this stage of my life.’Another Love’ is a special song. I love everything about it. Although not the same style as me, I take inspiration from Tom’s lyrics and his harmonies and production ideas.
Paper Trail$ - Joey Bada$$
This song has to be in my list for a number of reasons.When I was younger it was Rap artists such as Eminem and 50 cent that were popular, but I’ll never forget listening to ‘Paper Trail$’ for the first time. Epic! And I loved the clear Wu Tang homage vibe he had going on. I had the pleasure of watching him live from a very small tent at the Electric Picnic one year. I was by myself as no one else would come with me but it turned out to be one of my favourite experiences ever. The energy he brought to such a small tent was ridiculous. He might be the best artist I’ve ever seen perform live and for that alone he has to go on the list. I left the gig full of adrenaline determined I was going to be performing myself soon.
4 Your Eyez Only - J Cole
I honestly couldn’t decide what song but I just knew J Cole had to be on this list. This might be one of my favourite albums ever, so why not use the track with the album title. J Cole is so much more than a rapper! He is story telling at its finest. The production on this song is actually so good and it’s all subtle things. J Cole is a master at sampling which is something I’m trying to bring into my music too.
Madonna / Furthest thing / My side - Drake
Anyone that knows me knows Drake being on this list was inevitable. To me there’s a reason drake has been the top selling artist for over a decade. I have taken so much inspiration from Drake throughout the years that some is probably subconscious. I love his lyrics, his rhyming schemes, the beats he chooses for his songs, but I even love his Ad-libs which is not something I would have put much thought into before. I also love how versatile he is as an artist. When I’m finished with music I’d love to have a mixture of elements from different genres in my catalogue. I honestly could’ve selected any of Drakes most popular songs, but i think ‘Madonna’ ‘Furthest thing’ and ‘My side’ are songs that I draw the most influence from.
